Help me find my battery drain

[TWR2003]

Capriman,
Do you use a battery tender/minder? My car sees less than 1000 miles/year with no starts between mid Oct to mid-April and Ive had batteries last 8 years because I use a battery tender 24/7 when the car is not running.

Im not saying that was what caused your battery to go bad but it will keep good batteries lasting a long time.

[Capriman86]

I do not have one, and thought about that earlier today and plan to invest in one. Thank you for the input!

[dznj]

Jeff - Best $10 you will spend (well, maybe). I put one on my '89 when I put it up for the winter, and the car spun right over in the spring, 4 months later. Harbor Freight had them on sale a couple weeks ago.
http://www.harborfreight.com/automat...ger-42292.html

How's the 88?

[Capriman86]

Hey Doug, cool, how are the Harbor Freight ones in comparison to the real "Battery Tender"?

The 88 is doing well, got her running a bit better. Need to do the heater core and shift kit, but after the capri is done.

[dznj]

I bought that tender last year. It just keeps the battery topped up. Worked for me. Didn't touch the car from November until early April. Fired right up.

D

[Capriman86]

Ok, it's not the battery.

We were fine for 3 weeks, I went out Wednesday to take it out of the garage, dead.

Installed battery on 6/5

Had it in and out of the garage a few times, started every time, 6/20 was in and out for something.

6/21 drove it around for an hour no issues, back home.

6/29 dead

I just charged the battery and checked for current draw again

Now I am at 10.2mA with everything hooked back up, radio in, etc.

I pull fuse 8 we go down to 5
I pull fuse 16 we go down to 2.5

Is 10mA enough to kill it in 8 days?


I just blew the damn fuse in 2 of my meters messing around looking for things, dumbass I am pushed the cig lighter in by accident, then I hit the gas door release blowing the cheap meters, done for now.

[Capriman86]

I might be reading my meter wrong

I might have a 10 amp not mA draw

[Capriman86]

whats this say to you electrical experts

this is an old reading, not right now....i can't take a pic since I just messed up my meter.

[86capriASC]

Electrical stuff sucks!!

[Capriman86]

Yes, and nevermind its at 10mA

My meter can't support a 10A draw or else the fuse would blow.

Errrr

[Rick Schmidt]

I had a 79 Cutlass ( go head beat me ) when my grandfather decided he wanted the car out of his yard it had an issue similar to yours. might sit a week or more might sit for a night or 2 but if ya did not start that car at least every other day it'd be dead. We discovered the Dome light circuit was the problem. Seems I remedied the issue by simply pulling the dome bulb. I know our cars have similar dome lights to that car with the metal housing an all. Might be something else to look at

[Capriman86]

Right now my dome light is hanging, and map light connection is hanging too.
No bulb in the dome light housing.
NOT making connection to ground.

I pulled fuse 8 for now just to see what happens.

[WHTLTHR79RS]

Hi Jeff,
The "funny guy" here wants to know why there is no report of the replaced ignition switch yet...
and, which side of the car does the wires run on for the fuel door release, the side that got whacked? does the ignition switch need to be on for the release door to work?
Dome light hot wire is hot all the time, as is the wires in the A-pillers for the door switches. Remove the fuses not used to drive the car and start installing them one at a time over a period of time.....after you change the ignition switch of course.
Neil

[Mike Croke]

Hi Jeff,
The "funny guy" here wants to know why there is no report of the replaced ignition switch yet...
and, which side of the car does the wires run on for the fuel door release, the side that got whacked? does the ignition switch need to be on for the release door to work?
Dome light hot wire is hot all the time, as is the wires in the A-pillers for the door switches. Remove the fuses not used to drive the car and start installing them one at a time over a period of time.....after you change the ignition switch of course.
Neil

Fuel door release (along with all other wiring to rear) runs along drivers side to the back. Ignition switch does not need to be on for the fuel door release (hatch release does need ignition on).

[CapriGT]

I think it's also time to buy a real meter

[fastback86]

As somebody said here if you 0.5A (500ma) draw or less when the car is off that will not cause the problems you've been having. You probably have an intermittent charging problem or something else that randomly turns on and off when the car is parked. Do you have a good voltmeter in the car other than the factory idiot gauge? If not, hook your test meter up inside the car so you can see it while your driving around and see if ever stops charging. Anything below 13v is not charging well if at all. Just because its charging in your driveway doesn't mean it is when going down the road.

[badbrad]

my 91 5.0 ssp was doing the same thing, not sure of the drain draw was on ohms. Sometimes it would go dead over night, then would be great when parked for a week. I got a new ford battery, new pos/neg cables, still draining dead occasionaaly, no rhime/reason, i took it to electrical shop, they said my alternator diods (sp), were bad casusing the alternator to draw current when the car was off.. new lifetime alternator was 250.oo CDN, I opted to have my alternator rebuilt for 202.oo as it was HD / OEM Ford one. so far so good, it has only been 4 days.

[JTurbo]

Do you have a courtsey light under the hood???

JT

[plumkrazy]

alternator diods (sp), were bad casusing the alternator to draw current when the car was off..

True story, I have seen may a Ford Alt. with this same problem.

Do you have aftermarket alarm system?

[Capriman86]

my 91 5.0 ssp was doing the same thing, not sure of the drain draw was on ohms. Sometimes it would go dead over night, then would be great when parked for a week. I got a new ford battery, new pos/neg cables, still draining dead occasionaaly, no rhime/reason, i took it to electrical shop, they said my alternator diods (sp), were bad casusing the alternator to draw current when the car was off.. new lifetime alternator was 250.oo CDN, I opted to have my alternator rebuilt for 202.oo as it was HD / OEM Ford one. so far so good, it has only been 4 days.

I will keep this in mind.

Do you have a courtsey light under the hood???

JT

Nope, nothing

True story, I have seen may a Ford Alt. with this same problem.

Do you have aftermarket alarm system?

nope





I took the car to "last chance", the mechanic.

I have about run out of things "I" can do, so I am going to let the pro's look.


Odd without the capri in the garage again.

Put the mustang in so I wasn't so empty. Wish me luck cuz if this isn't resolve, I will not be going to the LI BBQ and I will park and cover this car for some time, I am mentally exhausted with it.

[WHTLTHR79RS]

Jeff, I wish we were not on the opposite sides of the map to each other, I would be there with you beating this problem into submission. Did you have any trouble getting the old ignition switch out ? Did it have those goofy torx bolts with the center post in the middle ?

[Capriman86]

I just had to lock on to them with some vise grips Neil, there were no torx ends on miine.

But the new switch is in and working fine, thank you.


Thanks Neil I wish we were a bit closer too, I really need some help with this.
lets hope the mechanic finds something.....I hope.

[mello85capri]

How many volts at the battery with the car running and a few things on ?

Alternator might be going bad.

[Capriman86]

How many volts at the battery with the car running and a few things on ?

Alternator might be going bad.

14.2-14.6v with nothing on, but it passed a load test, I don't remember what the volt reading was.

[TWR2003]

Capriman86,
I know you have it at a mechanic now but when you last tried to start it and it was 'dead' did you try to turn anything on to see 'how dead' it was? Headlights? Interior light(s)? Key in chime? Radio? Did any dash (idiot) lights come on when you turned to key to ON? Did you take a voltage reading at the battery immediatly after it was 'dead'? How are you certain that the battery actually had gone 'dead'. Im not trying to be a pain Im just trying to understand if the battery really had gone 'dead' or if it could be some type of intermittent wiring issue.

Let me know

BTW I saw your video. That is one of the most beautiful Four Eyes Ive ever seen.
T